Pushing Down Pillars

33-year-old Chinese man died after 27 days of playing games online. He spent 10,000 Chinese dollars during 650 consecutive hours of playing. Barely any eating or drinking…he died of heart failure. His desire for entertainment, caused his death.

Judges 16:23-30 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!”

24 When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, The destroyer of our land, And the one who multiplied our dead.”

25 So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars. 26 Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them.” 27 Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there—about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed.

28 Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!” 29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left.30 Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.

You’ll find pillars 136 times in the bible. Pillars have to do with foundations. According to the text, these 2 pillars that held the temple on which the Philistines stood. Physical pillars carry the same characteristics we find in spiritual ones. Foundational truths that we hold fast by which we make decisions, function, and live inside and outside the Kingdom of God.

For example:

Pillars of the heart > Proverbs 4:23 – ‘Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it flows the issues of life.’

That scripture tells us that if your heart is wrong, everything is wrong…what’s on the inside affects all of the outside.

Pillar of the home/family > Numbers 11: 10 - Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased.

As the home goes, so does the community. Our society is weak morally and spiritually because the home is weak morally and spiritually. That old statement, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ has some truth in it.

When Achan was found out – he confessed to Joshua that the spoil he took was inside his home…the problem is inside his home.

Pillars of the church > Matthew 16:17-19 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The enemy of your soul understands the powers of pillars! He will take his aim right where it counts. He will assault your heart, your home, and your church. Because to capture these things in your life will cause a complete collapse of everything else. In our text, when Sampson pushed down the pillars, he destroyed everything! This is what hell will do.

1^st Peter 2: 11 – ‘I beg you to abstain from fleshly lusts that war against your soul.’

What you allow on the inside doesn’t sit there dormant, it affects everything going forward.

Hebrews 3: 13 - but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Listen families, what you allow in your house affects everyone and everything in there.

Then you have the church / temple.

2nd Kings 25: 13 - The bronze pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried their bronze to Babylon.

The Babylonians came in and took things from the church that inspired worship. This is what the devil wants to do! He wants to remove the things from the church in order to stop worship – this leads to the destruction of your faith which will end with abandoning the church altogether.

How does the enemy push down the pillars? 

1.       He pushes them down through complacency…the Philistines didn’t recognize the danger they were in. See, they paid a lot of money to defeat Sampson, it took a lot out of them, not realizing that Sampson was still a threat! Many of us are guilty of the same mindset, we spent a lot to defeat our own demons, and when they come around in their defeated state…we relax

1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

So the danger is, you relax around things because you’ve defeated in the past…you’ve become complacent.

Complacent > pleased, especially with oneself or one's merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied

2.       He pushes them down through entertainment…until the invention of television, America was dominated by print! You had to read back in the days. In other words, you had to think in order gather / gain information. Television changed everything. It made information constantly / instantly available. 

     Television gave us the ability to UNTHINK. Our text says the Philistines desired to be entertained without engaging intellectually. The television has the ability to turn off sensory systems (nervous system) :: your brain is literally shut off, very similar to being hypnotized. 

      

     Today – Internet / Smartphones / Theaters etc. have this ability today. Here’s the problem, EVERY MOMENT MUST BE FILLED WITH ENTERTAINMENT – This is our God-given right.

Today, many Americans spend more on weekly entertainment than food! This is built – in, we want to feel good. Our text says this desire brought their demise. We allow things in that transform us. ENTERTAINMENT IS NEVER NEUTRAL…there is an agenda behind all of it!

Star Wars – Rebels vs. Separatists // Colonial Army vs. Great Britain

Independence Day – United mankind can defeat ANY / ALL Extraterrestrial foe // Tower of Babel unity vs. Almighty God

Brokeback Mountain – Romance in Homosexuality

Unfaithful – Adultery is romantic / exciting

There’s an agenda people!

“Film and visual entertainment are a pervasively important part of our culture, an extremely significant influence on the way our society operates. People in the film industry don’t want to accept the responsibility that they had a hand in the way the world is loused up. But, for better or worse, the influence of the church, which used to be all-powerful, has been usurped by film. Film and television tells us the way we conduct our lives, what is right and wrong.” ~ George Lucas, quoted by Aljean Harmetz in “U.S.C. Breaks Ground for a Film-TV School,” New York Times, Nov. 1981,

The problem with entertainment is that it crowds God out of our hearts. It makes devotion / prayer difficult to make time for but, we don’t miss our episodes / games / etc. See, whatever you eat, takes away your appetite for other things. This is true spiritually. Do you have an appetite for God? Things of the world have become more appealing. You’ve been feeding your flesh…

3.       He pushes the pillars down through children…verse 26 of our text says a young boy took Sampson by the hand in between the pillars…in essence, a child led the people to their destruction! The laziness of the adults brought all of this about! Let the kid take Sampson! Laziness killed them. 

      

      DVDs, Television, Computers and Video Games have replaced parenting! See, people don’t care what the kid is watching, so long as they have peace and their children are preoccupied with garbage. You have no idea what your children are in to – as long as they are not bugging you! The deception is kids must be entertained all the time! This is why ministry has standards attached to them.

Is watching G – rated movies wrong? That’s the wrong question…the right question is…why do you want to create an appetite? It starts with you and me parents!!

Why does my daughter wanna dress / dance / talk like that? Because they are watching it! Beloved, it starts with us!! Now, more than ever, I have to get out of my house, if to do nothing else but walk, and THINK…because left to my own carnality – I will watch sports / highlights / videos / ALL DAY LONG

See, I’m not here to shake my finger at you – I’m speaking of all of us! We have to walk in discipline because our compromise is their standard!

1st Cor. 8: 12 - But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

There’s a progression in carnality and destruction…think with me…

Sampson said: let me feel / let me lean / let me push

We must understand that we are vessels to be used by God, so when the vessel is defiled…it affects everything we do.

Noah released a dove after the flood, yet the reason why it returned is because it didn’t have a clean place to land…nothing but dead things floating around – it had to come back…could it be that the Holy Spirit is uncomfortable landing on you for the same reason?

Whenever we take God’s holiness seriously…God will come down! I know we’re serious whenever we desire to cleanse ourselves! Genesis 35: 1 – 4 > Jacob told his household to change their garments, rid themselves of idols and cleanse themselves.

When we get serious about holiness...

a. God is Pleased

b. We are protected

c. We make eternal impact and can carry the cause of Christ within us

Sampson was a Nazirite but he never took it seriously…Jesus was a Nazarene…the spirit of God came down during His baptism because He took holiness seriously.

The devil’s aim is after the pillars...if he can knock down the pillars, he can destroy everything! You know, we can’t choose how to sing or play an instrument, but we can choose holiness…we can choose it together. We should ALL say with one voice: I WANT GOD!

Facts About Hell

Jesus preached about hell 33 times. Hell is mentioned 167 times in the bible. If you don't believe in hell, you can't believe in heaven, because the creator of them both are in the bible.

Luke 16:19-31

19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”

What the Rich Man experienced (along with everyone else who goes to hell)

1. He desires comfort
2. He expresses concern
3. He seeks consolation

The word torment has 3 definitions in it.

a. Acute pain from a debilitating disease
b. A rack of torture (sharp knives they stretched criminals over)
c. Flames hot enough to melt metals

Matthew 25:41
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

Few facts about the reality of hell: first of all understand, Jesus did NOT prepare Hell for mankind...but He DID prepare Heaven!! (John 14)

Why was hell such a 'hot' topic in the bible? Due to the sinfulness of mankind, hell was the end result of poor spiritual decisions...Jesus was very candid about this type of judgment and He even gave a very powerful illustration concerning this eternal torment...Jesus called Hell - Gehenna...(valley of torment)

Historically, it’s the valley on the south side of Jerusalem...this is where people would burn their refuse and poor people would burn their dead in that valley...you can smell flesh for miles!

The Chaldeans and even 2 kings (Ahab and Manasseh), would sacrifice their children to the same flames...many times they would drive their children into the fire while yet alive!

A place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is the imagery that Jesus is using to describe the torment that happens in hell…right now.

Matthew 10:28
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Few more facts about hell that are fascinating is not what is in hell, but what is NOT...

There are 2 physical properties needed to maintain the sanity of mankind; that is> Light and Solid Ground...none of

which can be found in hell.

Matt. 8: 12 - 'but the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness'

Revelation 9. 11, 17, and 20 refer to hell as a bottomless pit.

So imagine being suspended in total darkness and fire...

There are 2 emotional properties needed to maintain the sanity of mankind; that is> Rest and Hope

Rev. 14: 11 - 'And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name'

Hell is not a design of fear and control – it’s a fact of spiritual consequences…if you die in your sins, you will go to hell.

The Life of Samson

Judges 14:1-3

14 Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” 
3 Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” 
And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.”

As you can see, Samson was a man, born by a miracle - under the same oath as Jesus the Christ, poised to save Israel from the Philistine rule. As you may know, 'Philistine' means (Self - Wallowing)...the greatest enemy Israel ever dealt with, was an enemy of Self...they were under their bondage for 40 years in the Book of Judges, the longest of all bondages.

Samson was sent to save them, instead, he found himself indulging in his flesh, every opportunity he had! We read on that he entangled himself with the very people he was born to destroy! This unholy alliance with the enemy, became his own undoing...Samson's life in many ways symbolized the demise of the Church world today!! Everyone wants to hold hands and join under some false agreement, when in reality - there is no harmony between light and darkness!

So how did Samson, (The Church) fall? Quite simply, he fell for the lies entangled in his own lusts! We know the Philistine women were his downfall as he surrendered the secret of his strength, (Later found in Judges 16); Listen, the hair on his head was the physical equivalent to the Holy Spirit found in the house of God...as the hair was merely an exterior symbol, so is speaking in tongues an exterior symbol of what's really going on inside the soul and spirit of a born - again Christian.

If your flesh can 'Shave' this off of you - you will shake yourself free, not realizing that the Spirit of the Lord has departed from you! Well, it's hard to notice that the Spirit has departed when you don't even recognize He was there in the first place. This is so true on more than one level...Church Level, and Individual Level to speak of. I believe that Samson's life serves as a warning! His battle with self - indulgence became his own undoing, and the same is true with us.

The good news is: HE DID FINALLY DELIVER ISRAEL!!  But it cost him his life!  He uttered the most powerful words in his ministry > Judges 16: 30, '...let me die with the Philistines...'

The moment we die to SELF, we've won!! He destroyed more Philistines in his death, than in his living among them! It's hard to kill who you were in bed with the night before! We as believers must learn to die to self, and allow the power of God to bring deliverance, not only to ourselves, but to God's people.

If I Were the Devil

Dan. 7: 25 - 'He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.

If I were the prince of darkness I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness, and I’d have a third of its real estate and four fifths of its population. But I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree: you.

So I’d set about however necessary, to take over the United States. I’d subvert the churches first. 
I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve, “Do as you please.” To the young I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. 
I would convince them that man created God, instead of the other way around. I would confide that what’s bad is good, and what’s good is square. And the old I would teach to pray after me, “our father which art in Washington...”

And then I’d get organized: I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies, and visa versa. I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.

If I were the devil I’d soon have families at war with themselves; churches at war with themselves; and nations at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings, I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames. If I were the devil I would encourage schools to refine young intellect, but neglect to discipline emotions; just let those run wild, until before you knew it you’d have to have drug-sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.

Within a decade I’d have prisons overflowing; I’d have judges promoting pornography. Soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress. And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls—and church money.

If I were the devil I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg, and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.
If I were the devil I’d take from those who have, and give to those who want it, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. And what’ll you bet I couldn’t get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich. I would caution against extremes, and hard work, and patriotism, and moral conduct. I would convince the young that marriage is old fashioned—that swinging is more fun. That what you see on TV is the way to be. And thus I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure.

In other words, if I were the devil 

I would just keep on doing what he is doing.

To Be or Not to Be Free

John 5: 43 - '...I have come in My Father's name, yet you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you shall receive...'

This sums it up pretty nicely:

This was a response from an article in Houston where the Mayor is filing subpoenas for pastors to turn over their sermons that may contain anti-homosexual / anti-lesbian material

To whom it may concern:

Hello, I'm an American. As an American citizen, I have the right to live out my dreams, express and uphold my convictions and beliefs. As an American, I also applaud others who share the same rights as I have - even if their convictions and/or beliefs contradict mine.

More to the point, we have in this great country a community of homosexuals and lesbians. We also have another community of transsexuals and trans-genders...all of which are currently living out their dreams, expressing their convictions and beliefs > what a marvelous country we live in, where we are able to do this!

Unfortunately, we have a disturbance in these communities. There are those who believe that it is their right to restrict other expressions of freedom in order to exalt their own. This line of thinking is not only anti - American, it's Communism at its finest...

Is this the country men and women died and fought for? We bled, so that people could have the right to express themselves, WITHOUT the restrictions of others because it may contradict others who oppose it.  For example, an atheist should have the right to express their opinion about different faiths unrestricted; a Christian should have the right to express their opinion without being restricted by others who oppose...lesbians should have the right to express their beliefs without interference...yet, we live in a society today where this is happening.

I want America to be a place where all walks of life can walk without being restricted to do so. From the church house to the white house. If I do not agree with the lifestyle of a lesbian, homosexual, atheist, Christian, Buddhist, etc...I SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO SO.

I do not hate Christians if I disagree with their beliefs, I do not hate homosexuals if I disagree with their beliefs, I'm simply exercising my right to express my disagreements, my opinions, and my beliefs...that's what makes us Americans...that is what makes us FREE.

Do not take that away from us...let America remain American!

Mental Ambush

Phil. 4: 2-9, 'I implore Euodia and I implore Syntche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally brothers, whatever things are pure, just, noble, lovely, of a good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.'

This is probably the most quoted scripture that is often disobeyed. The book of Philippians is filled with spiritual content concerning the MIND. We now, live in a day and age where the mind is literally under assault. The devil through the generations of men have always sought to take us out physically - time and time again, he would establish a kingdom, and time and time again, it would fail. This latest kingdom however, is a mental ambush. 

If we are simply fed a pack of lies and half - truths concerning life, God, and one another - we'll adopt a 'mentality' that will negatively affect our thought life outside of God's will. The book of Daniel and Revelation warned us that this would happen; yet there are still believers out in the world who simply follow blindly, not realizing they are being sucked into the devil's web of lies.

Our thought life has to change! The way we process life must flow the filter of God's word, not the latest television program; however, this is how we, and our children are being conditioned and shaped. What terrified and horrified our parents and grandparents is accepted today like nothing is wrong...abortion, sexual immorality, rebellion, anxiety, depression, alcoholism, etc...these things are considered normal. Somewhere, our brains got turned off, and the devil has poured out lies unending...the Word asks, 'Who's report do you believe?' Well, which one? Do you believe what the media is telling you, or are you willing to discipline yourself with God's word?

Phil. 2: 5 - 'Let this mind be in you, that is also in Christ Jesus...'

Here's a quote from the book, 'Switch on Your Brain'...‘You are a thinking being. You think all day long, and at night you sleep, and you sort out your thinking. As you think you choose, and as you choose you cause genetic expression to happen in your brain. This means you make proteins and these proteins form your thoughts; thoughts are real physical things that occupy mental real estate – moment by moment every day you are changing the structure of your brain, through your thinking and through your choosing.’

How do you live your life?

Can God deposit His life into your mind? Or is it preoccupied with what you've ingested from the world?

Finish The Job

1 Kings 20:29-32

29 And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day. 30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left.

And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner chamber.

31 Then his servants said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please, let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life.” 32 So they wore sackcloth around their waists and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’”

And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

The Syrians were defeated, but King Ahab made the mistake of cutting a covenant with the defeated King. This allowed the Syrians to hang around a little longer and eventually become an irritant to Israel...this is not the first or last close call Syria has had with Israel...

2 Kings 13:14-19

14 Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, “O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!”

15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So he took himself a bow and some arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 And he said, “Open the east window”; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.” 18 Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped. 19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.”

We see history repeat itself, of a sort...King Joash was to strike the ground more than 3 times in order to see the utter defeat of Syria, however - he did just enough; and it wasn't enough to prevail. You know, I know a lot of Christians just like that...they allow their enemy(s) hang around, and / or they never deal w/the issues at hand.  However, it will come back on you if you're not careful.

I brought up Syria because of one critical point of fact; Syria is the harboring place for ISIS. I can't help but wonder if we would have had peace in this area, had not Syria been dealt with generations before.

As you can see, your decision to allow the enemy live, will eventually come back to haunt you! I'm telling you just as Elisha told him - 'You must shoot, so that the others will know who you are.'

It's amazing to note, that his impromptu handshake and your sudden appearance as Father. The Syrian Commander will never be the same after that
encounter.